1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a medicine bottle cap with time and day markers. The cap may be child resistant or not child resistant, and it may be one that attaches to or is directly connected to a container, or it may be an overcap, either with a child resistant undercap arrangement or as a stand alone for retrofitting over existing caps. Uniquely, the present invention caps include a set of time and a set of day indicia wherein the day indicia is set up with fourteen separate sectors.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
The following prior art represents various types of medicine dosage reminder arrangements:
U.S. Pat. No. 6,152,067 describes a medication dosage reminder device that includes a cruciform hub that attaches to a medication container and an annular dial that is pinned between the hub and the container but is otherwise free to rotate about the hub. The dial includes time of day indicia and the hub includes a co-operating pointer for selecting the time of day so indicated. A patient can rotate the dial about the hub to indicate the time of which the last dose of medication was taken or the time at which the next dose of medication is due.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,720,392 describes a device for indicating when a person either took a pill or other medication, or when he is scheduled to take the next dose of the medication. The invention is conveniently attached to a pill bottle having a cap. An image of a clockface is printed on or adhered to the top of the bottle cap and/or the bottom and may include either a MEDICATION TAKEN AT image or a MEDICATION DUE AT image. A transparent, rotatable cap, having an arrow indicator inscribed thereon, is placed over the bottle cap. A second transparent, rotatable cup, having an arrow indicator inscribed thereon may be placed over a clock face image and a medication image on the bottom for use as a second timer reminder. When a medication is taken, the rotatable cover covering the MEDICATION TAKEN AT end is turned to the time taken. The opposite end timer is then turned to the MEDICATION DUE AT end to indicate when the next dose is due.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,694,882 describes indicators and methods of indicating. Intended primarily for use with medicine containers, the devices typically indicate the number of doses of medication ingested or remaining to be taken by a patient during a particular period. These devices additionally provide tactile assistance to patients in appropriately repositioning the indicator arms and, when used correctly, may reduce the possibility of patient overdose by restricting improper attempts to advance the indicator arm.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,335 describes a compliance system that helps patients organize and comprehend multiple or single medication and treatment schedules. Containers for prescribed and-over-the-counter drugs are numbered to coordinate with a numbered medication listing and medication profile. The numbered medication listing is made visible on an easel structure that also comprises large master dials whose faces have time or day indicia imprinted and an attached anchor on which a perforated pointer is seated to rotate relative to each other. Optional magnet master dials are provided for other visible places, such as the refrigerator door, to alert to schedule compliance time or day. The numbered containers are provided with small dials, imprinted with time or day indicia, that are perforated to seat on the adhesive anchor arrow indicator to rotate relative to each other. The dials are digitally advanced to the next treatment due time after each procedure is completed to reassure or remind of Schedule compliance and to avoid double dosing a medication. The simplified compliance system can help save time and phone calls in dispensing the required verbal and written drug information by providing a medication profile form and the organized teaching tools to help the patient comprehend the schedule and reinforce the verbal consultations with the system's medication profile.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,920,912 describes a time dial for a pharmaceutical container, preferably the container cap. The time dial comprises a disk rotatably mounted on the top surface of the cap; a window in the disk; and a plurality of numerals representing hours arranged in a ring on the top surface of the cap, underlying the disk, whereby rotation of the disk causes a select numeral to appear through the window.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,913,083 describes a method for reminding a person when to take medication. A series of indicia are put on a plurality of flat areas about the circumference of the safety cap, which are in line with the interior stops of the safety cap. The indicia corresponds to times medication is required to be taken. The safety cap is placed upon a safety bottle in such a manner that one of the flat areas line up with an indicator below one of the plurality of exterior stops on the safety bottle that engage with the interior stops of the safety cap so as to show a person the first time medication is to be taken. The safety cap is then removed from the safety bottle and then replaced back on the safety bottle in such a manner that each next in sequence of the flat areas line up with the indicator 22 so as to show the person each next time medication is to be taken.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,345,541 describes a simple mechanically manipulatable two-component inter-acting device for use as an effective medication-time-intake reminder having an attachable-detachable outer rotatory ring with either a singular or a plurality of outer protrusions for easy clockwise turning purposes in relation to a correspondingly engageable stationary component having a flat circularly running clocklike numeral indicia that are equally interspaced between each succeeding numerals ranging from 1 to 12 is disclosed. Each respective rotary ring has fixed clockwise spacing interval between the “LAST DOSE” arrow indicia and the “NEXT DOSE” arrow indicia depending upon the required application to accomplish the specific time interval in the administration of each corresponding particular medication. For functional effectively it is preferred that each kind of rotatory ring for each respective time-interval application be differentially color-coded to easily distinguish one from the others.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,041,628 describes an apparatus for visually registering information, which utilizes an outer adjustable member containing transparent indicia, which indicia will become visually distinct when said indicia is moved to overlie an inner fixed member and a color area thereon differing from the color surrounding said indicia.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,347,804 describes a simple mechanically manipulatable two-component interacting device for use as an effective medication time intake reminder having a stationary outer ring component having a circularly running clocklike numerical indicia that are equally interspaced between each succeeding numeral ranging from 1 to 12 is disclosed. The inner rotatory disc has fixed interval spacings between the “LAST DOSE” arrow indicia and the “NEXT DOSE” arrow indicia depending upon the required application such as the time interval called for in the administration of each particular medication. It is also disclosed and preferred that each rotatory disc for each respective time interval application be differently color coded to easily distinguish one from the other.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,911,856 describes a device for containing medication and for indicating the time when such medication should be taken. The device comprises a base having a plurality of compartments arranged in a circle, and a cover rotatably carried by the base and overlying the compartments. A circular wall defines the outer peripheral portions of the compartments and a circular ledge circumscribes the wall and has an upwardly facing saw-tooth edge. A screw-threaded hub extends upwardly from the center portion of the compartments. The cover is formed of a transparent material, such as clear plastic, and is in the form of a circular disc with a central opening to pass the threaded hub, and an off-center opening, which may be aligned with a selected compartment. The cover has a depending peripheral flange with a saw-tooth edge which is complementary to the edge of the circular ledge. An internally threaded cap is threaded on the hub to hold the cover in place and against unintentional rotation by reason of the fact that the complementary saw-tooth edges are held in mating relationship. All, or selected compartments, are filled with prescribed medicinal tablets and each compartment is marked with a prescribed indicia, such as certain hours of the day. At the prescribed time, the user will rotate the cap in a direction to permit the slight elevation of the cover to disengage the saw-tooth edges, whereby the cover may be rotated to align the cover opening with the desired compartment. The cap is then threaded to move the cover onto the compartments and to engage the saw-tooth edges, and the device may be inverted to remove the tablet from the compartment, through the opening in the cover.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,446,179 describes a cover for receptacles having an auxiliary pill-holding portion and a closure member to seal said pill-holding portion, said pill-receiving portion having time indicia inscribed thereon whereby indicating means carried by said closure member will coact with said time indicia to enable the user to record the time the next pill is to be taken, and orientation means provided whereby said closure member can be selectively seated within said pill-receiving portion to preclude accidental movement of said closure member once seated.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,111,637 describes new and useful improvements in bottle caps, especially of the kind used for medicine bottles, and the said caps have with this object in view been constructed with a recording dial and dose indicator.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,211,737 describes a device for indicating the particular times at which doses of medicine are to be taken. The object of this invention is to provide an inexpensive indicator, the operation of which is simple and self evident to persons called upon to use it and which is so constructed as to permit the same to be made inexpensively of sanitary material.
Notwithstanding the prior art, the present invention is neither taught nor rendered obvious thereby.